7.That special prayers for the souls of the dead in our Church, preferring one before another in name, are a false foundation of alms, and for that reason all houses of alms in England have been wrongly founded. This conclusion is proved by two reasons: the one is that meritorious prayer, and of any effect, ought to be a work proceeding from deep charity, and perfect charity leaves out no one, for 'Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.' And so it is clear to us that the gift of temporal good bestowed on the priesthood and houses of alms is a special incentive to private prayer which is not far from simony. For another reason is that special prayer made for men condemned is very displeasing to God, and though it be doubtful it is probable to faithful Christian people that founders of a house of alms have for their poisonous endowment passed over for the most part to the broad road. The corollary is effectual prayer springing from perfect love would in general embrace all whom God would have saved, and would do away with that well-worn way or merchandise in special prayers made for the possessionary mendicants and other hired priests, who are a people of great burden to the whole realm, kept in idleness, for it has been proved in one book which the king had, that a hundred houses of alms would suffice in all the realm, and from this would rather accrue possible profit to the temporal estate.
8.That pilgrimages, prayers and offerings made to blind crosses or roods, and to dead images of wood and stone, are pretty well akin to idolatry and far from alms, and although these be forbidden and imaginary, a book of error to the lay folk, still the customary image of the Trinity is especially abominable. This conclusion God clearly proves, bidding alms to be given to the needy man because they are the image of God, and more like than wood or stone: for God did not say, "let us make wood or stone in our likeness and image", but man: because the supreme honour which clerks call latria belongs to Divinity only; and the lowest honour which clerks call dulia pertains to man and angel and to inferior creatures. A corollary is that the service of the cross, performed twice in any year in our church is full of idolatry, for if that should, so might the nails and lance be so highly honoured: then would the lips of Judas be relics indeed if any were able to possess them. But we ask you pilgrim to tell us, when you offer to the bones of saints placed in a shrine in any spot, whether you relieve the saint who is in joy, or that almshouse which is so well endowed and for which men have been canonized, God knows how. And to speak more plainly, a faithful Christian supposes that the wounds of that noble man, whom men call St. Thomas, were not a case of martyrdom.
Amen.
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